For those of you that don't know, Trayvon Martin was a 17 year old black high school student from Miami, Florida that was visiting his father in a gated and predominately white community in Sanford, Florida when he was approached by George Zimmerman, a White/Latino neighborhood watch vigilante, who ultimately shot Trayvon point blank in the chest killing him. Even though there are other factors that led up to the shooting, the reason for this cold blooded murder is simple; Trayvon was black and was deemed "suspicious" and was profiled by Zimmerman as being up to no good. The family of Trayvon Martin and the nation is in a justifiable uproar because Zimmerman has not been arrested despite this clearly being a hate crime. Listen at the 2:21 mark as Zimmerman refers to Trayvon as a "F**king Coon".I pray ever day that Trayvon Martin gets the justice he deserves but unfortunately this is not the first and it certainly won't be the last time a person is profiled and stereotyped because of race.
Whether Black, White, Hispanic, Chinese or whatever your ethnicity, racial tensions and misunderstandings in this country are just as American as apple pie....this country has came a long way from slavery, Jim Crow and the Civil Rights Movement to where BLATANT racism and segregation is not tolerated as much anymore, but it's still alive and thriving in many well known cities throughout the country. For example, check out Huffington Post's 10 most segregated cities in America as of 2011.
ARE YOU THE LEAST BIT SURPRISED BY THIS???
Too many people still believe that race mixing is wrong and some even deem it biblically immoral to marry and/or reproduce outside of their race. I personally feel folks should be with whomever they want despite race, religion, background or sexual preference. Respect, trust, loyalty and most importantly LOVE is all that really needs to be evenly yoked, because without them it doesn't matter what flag is mutually being waved...ignorance will eventually rear its ugly head!
But lets not submerge too deep into this topic because we'll be here all day.
But until we learn to do better as a nation when it comes to race relations and equality we will continue to be disgusted and saddened by the events that took place in Florida on February 26.
If people took HALF as much energy as it takes to hate someone and redirect that negativity into respecting each other, then things like this would not happen!
We wouldn't be a country full of bigots and racists and separate ourselves from each other in the name of equality and religion. We wouldn't judge based on looks and allow how an individual is dressed to determine whether or not they are a good or bad person.
There's no telling how many more generations will be subject to this type of ugliness but unfortunately it looks like it's here to stay.
So we have to EXCEPT the fact that some parents are raising their children to fear what they don't understand.
We have to EXCEPT the fact that the media portrays certain groups and ethnicity's less than favorable. We have to EXCEPT the fact that there will always be cultural division.
Or do we?
What happened to all the DREAMERS?
Symposium on the State of Race in America on April 9, 2012 in Washington D.C.
Its almost a month since Trayvon has passed and I don't know what to think about Florida's justice system, lets not forget that this is the same justice system that let a baby killer walk away with murdering her child. Who knew that in Florida that you can "claim" self defense and just take another persons life and have no consequences for you actions. Im am by far no racist but I know if this situation been in reverse and a black man or maybe even another minority pulled the trigger and it had been a white child that was killed that way, the killer would have been charged and they would have his face all over the tv being cuffed and dragged in and out of cop cars into police stations and into courthouses.
ReplyDeleteI just like many others have flowing the news coverage and growing more frustrated. So now the news is reporting that Zimmerman has a broken nose and out of no where he has a black friend Oliver that is speaking in his defense and saying he believes that Zimmerman is the one screaming help in the 911 call and that he is not a racist and he is kind hearted and will do anything for any and so forth. Really? We've all heard that racist comment played in the 911 call so how can they claim that he isn't a racist. His black friend said the comment wasn't a big deal because people use nigga instead of nigger and that he's known him for several years and he has never shown him a racist side. Well show me some pictures of Zimmerman socializing with this black friend Oliver that is on every news station speaking up for him and trying to paint him as this good person and that he has been crying and that he is remorseful about killing him. How remorseful was he when he was calling him a coon has basically stalking him until he took his life.
As a mother, sister, aunt, cousin and a friend of black males I am just tired and frustrated at out how our males are treated. I have very little hope that racial profiling is ever going to stop regardless of how our men and boys are dressed, or how educated they are, or how much money they have, or where they reside. Even with a black president we still live amongst people that hate the black people because of the color of our skin. Unfortunately we will not see an end to killing of innocent black men because this is something that we as a people have dealt with in the past and it will be something well continue to deal with in our future.
At this point I pray for the truth to come out and I pray for justice even if the new is now saying that Trayvon was suspended from school for having traces of marijuana in his back pack at school. Now this boy is going to be painted as a bad kid, I see it coming. *sighs*
And I agree with some of the Logic of the Africa New Black Panthers & Minister Farrakhan-simply posting an update on the smear campaign guys. So can keep up with ALL of them. Much of this leaked information seems intended to play into stereotypes about young African-American males.
ReplyDeleteEh this Trayvon shit it's starting to piss me off. Yes it's a tragedy but like my husband said, blacks kill blacks everyday. Some of us may even know someone who killed someone yet no one protests that but let it be a color issue and all of a sudden everyone wants to march and wear hoodies. Whether sports or political issues, some people are just bandwagon jumpers.
ReplyDeleteI really can't understand your views or comments on the situation, 1 that is 1st & foremost tragic as a young man lost his life senselessly thru clear ignorance & racism. As a mother, especially of a male child & 1 w/God's grace will grow to prosper as a man, should feel the loss & rage from a mom's stand point as could have very happen to any of us. Your posting truly lacks any of that to include compassion for the loss/issue @ hand here & I for 1 am very proud to see the global support his family is getting & am surely praying hard that the person responsible for his murder is brought to justice...bare in mind that agreed there are many other cases that should get just as much public attention as this case but this case has envoked a stamped of ppl of all races to stand against the obvious reason this child was killed as most are just fed up to live w/it, suffer thru it & hear about it, so there will be results from this that will surely carry thru and to other issue's I'm sure of it, the nation will not let his death be in vain....if this were ur son, and given the fact that racism and police brutality are both very real-would you not want the same movement the same outpour the same demands for justice for him? Rhetorical..........enjoy ur day
DeleteI'm very empathetic to the situation. It breaks my heart that a mother...family...COMMUNITY has to lose a life. I pray the family pools their strength together and trusts and believes in God to get them through this time of intense mourning. I am also outraged that someone took the law, and someone else life in his own hands, and feel, without a doubt, that the individual(s) should be put to swift and undeniable justice.
DeleteMy point was missed,it wasn't to diminish the brutality, racism and injustice that was done here but to illuminate the fact that things like this happen everyday ALL DAY in some places and WE, as a COMMUNITY as a WHOLE, don't kick up quite the same fuss. A lil while ago a recently paroled black man in Queens boarded a bus and just started shooting and killed a black teen...no one posted and wore clothing for that.
My view is we all need to stand together more as a community for not just one specific issue, but the much bigger issues at hand. Have a good night!
I wear hoodies all the time...as a suspicious looking black man, I agree it's a terrible injustice, but I think the majority of people are just bandwagoners who as usual just repost whatever they see on facebook and they only care because it was pushed in their faces. If racisim wasn't involved (even if the roles were reversed), no one would give a shit about this kid.
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ReplyDeleteIt.s terrible & as a mother, I can't imagine how you live after your child has been taken from you. In instances such as this, people try & make sense of the tragedy because then, the grief has an outlet. Let's blame white people, racism, poverty...Obama. It is senseless, period! The man should be held accountable for his actions. However, his race isnt a factor in my opinion, in fact the man in question is hispanic. Does that change what happened? No, this young man is gone & justice should be served.
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